Hemstad

After a long rest, the adventurers return to the cave complex and find a new watchman. He pulls the alarm to no avail and is promptly killed. The party manages to sneak upon a group of goblins and a large bugbear with a leather apron covered in gore preparing a meal.

The commis are easily dispatched by Salkor except for the vegetable station which manages to dodge the dagger strikes for a few rounds. The rest of the party concentrates on the massive bugbear. It is a tough fight but the group manages to kill them all. After looting, the adventurers find a rickety bridge that stretches over a deep chasm. Salkor manages to acrobatically get across but Ozum breaks a slat and manages to catch hold before falling through. A portent of things to come.

Bjorkus helps him up and the element of surprise is dashed as a half dozen goblins waiting for dinner become alerted and spring to action. Two goblins begin sawing at the ropes on the bridge as Ozum tries to run across. Goblins below toss javelins at him and one strand is cut and he falls. He slams against the wall of the chasm and manages to catch a hold and stop his 50 foot fall. He is bloodied but alive. Bjorkus runs back and through the previously explored areas hoping to find a way into the room. Salkor is alone fighting on the other side but Pteliana throws divine bolts. She does enough damage for Salkor to make a run halfway back across the bridge before he is knocked unconscious. The invoker manages to pull him the rest of the way back with divine magic. Now Ozum is alone after crawling from the chasm. He fights until Bjorkus runs into the room and they manage to kill the the rest of the goblins.

The party has saved Edwina Vered, proprietor of the reagent shop in the previous fight. They speak to her briefly and as the goblin army seems to be retreating, the party is introduced to the mayor of Hemstad: Lord Finegold. He thanks the adventurers for fighting against the goblins and informs them of a bounty of 10 gold pieces on killing goblins. The party decides to follow after the retreating army. As they prepare to leave, a woman named Allison begs the party to rescue her son Alfie. The party agrees to do what they can though they are not optimistic as to the child’s fate. Fully outfitted, the group leaves and follows the tracks of the goblin force.

Finding and abandoned farm, the party rests after the first day of travel. Pteliana has the first watch and as she meditated undead wolves attack. Salkor awakens the rest of the party as Pteliana is savagely attacked. She survives only by using her Hamadryad oaken aspect and rebuking the undead. The party fights them off but they are badly hurt by the necrotic energy the beasts exude.

The group travels two more days and finds the entrance to a cavernous complex. Bjorkus solves the puzzle of the animated door and the adventurers move in. They slowly and carefully make their way in. After stealthily killing a sentry, Salkor disarms a spear trap and leads the party to a large chamber. It is filled with almost two dozen sleeping goblins. Salkor dispatches two of the sleeping foes when one awakes and alerts the rest. The party defends the doorway and a powerful magical attack kills many of the goblins. It is a brutal war of attrition between the group and a nefarious goblin hexer who uses his remaining troops to good effect. Not even watching a bugbear almost drown himself brought much levity to the fight. On their last legs, the party kills the hexer’s forces and the goblin retreats. The party loots and is so exhausted they leave to rest before coming back.

After re-arming, thanks to the generosity of Mr. Spears, the group set out in search of others in Hemstad that might need their assistance. It didn’t take long before the screams for help from a young woman could be heard just a few blocks away. Racing to the scene the group turned the corner only to stare down a short road that ended with a small horde of goblins and two bugbears. A young woman was frozen with shock against the wall of a three-story home; and in the middle of the street lay the missing Harvest Feast host, Lord Blackfist.

The bugbears hid among the buildings while the main goblin force charged down the street. Salkor ran at the male bugbear wielding his dagger and throwing shuriken. Pteliana began dispatching the charging goblins with radiant beams of light and streaks of lightning from the sky. Bjorkus and Ozum waded into the goblins to fight toe to toe with the female bugbear. Salkor, realizing he couldn’t take the pair of foes on alone, attempted to run back to the group. The male bugbear pursued him and with a swing of his flail brought Salkor to the brink of death. While Ozum and Pteliana kept the attention of the other bugbear and goblins, Bjorkus called upon the powers of Erathis to bring Salkor back to his feet. He sacrificed his own healing stamina to shield his allies and help turn the tide of battle. Once Ozum and Pteliana slayed the female bugbear, the group surrounded the remaining bugbear and quickly defeated him.

Before the blade could be pulled from the dead bugbear, Bjorkus was at the side of Lord Blackfist, but it was already too late. Lord Blackfist was long dead. A crossbow bolt protruded from his back and his veins were a dark purple. The bolt had finished what the poison had begun. Lord Blackfist’s pocket contained a crumpled note, written in a language foreign to the party. Of particular interest was a pendant with a seven point star with circles around the points. A matching tattoo was found on Lord Blackfist’s chest.

A suit of magical scale armor was retrieved from one of the bugbears along with various swords and suits of leather armor. Curiously though, no crossbows were found. It appears Lord Blackfist wasn’t killed by the horde of goblins and bugbears. The only leads remaining were the pendant and the note.

The party is invited by Sir Newton Blackfist to celebrate the harvest festival at his country manor. All members ate and drank and had a fun time: Ozum Dragonspike drank Elven wine and mingled with with the crowd, Raj talked with some military commanders about tactics, while Bjorkus Von Lagerspetz and Salkor the Silent reveled in the general atmosphere of celebration. The festival ended and Sir Blackfist generously opened his manor house to his guests to sleep.

In the middle of the night, the heroes were awoken by screams and sounds of fighting. They donned their equipment and exited the manor. Goblins were setting the smaller buildings of the manor on fire. The party charged the goblins and fought hand-to-hand with a group of them. The goblins were defeated and a lone survivor ran from the manor with one of Ozum’s hand axes in his back.

Ozum searched the field for survivors of the attack and found a few peasants. Salkor searched the manor and found a dagger in Sir Blackfist’s room but the nobleman was nowhere to be found. The peasants mentioned they saw Sir Blackfist leave the manor soon after his celebration was ended when questioned.

A wounded farmer on a horse approached the group. Bjorkus tended his wounds and the farmer motioned to the east, and asked the party to go to his farm before falling unconscious.

The group quickly traveled to the farm where Salkor attempted to sneak up on the farmhouse. Sensing the element of surprise was spoiled, Salkor lit an oil flask and set the farmhouse’s thatch roof on fire. A group of goblins attacked the party as they advanced on the farmhouse but were defeated. Ozum and Raj checked the smoky interior of the house for survivors only to find a burned body and a metal chest. Bjorkus found the tracks of a large goblin host leading to Hemstad and the group decided to follow them.